An integrated electronic circuit arranged as a regulator often includes several electronic components that enable the regulator's functionality. The actual operation of a particular regulator can vary based on a variety of factors, including manufacturing processes, and component layout. For relatively high performance and stable operation, low drop out (LDO) regulators often employ external capacitors at both the input and output interfaces. However, the equivalent series resistance (ESR) and capacitance of these external capacitors can adversely affect the stability of the regulator.
However, external capacitors can constrain how a regulator is used in some applications. For example, externally connected capacitors can increase the surface area (space) required to mount a regulator on a circuit board/PCB for an electronic device. Also, some regulators can specify their use with a particular type of external capacitor with a relatively low ESR. Although some regulators have been provided that don't require some type of external capacitor on the input and/or output interfaces, these “capacitor free” regulators have had difficulty handling loads greater than 100 milliamps and maintaining relatively stable voltage regulation.